Autumn Book Fair

Preparations for the autumn Book Fair are well in hand, with pricing starting recently, but lots of donations to sort and price between now and October 23rd. If you are interested in joining the pricing team, contact Helen or Naveed. We will shortly be contacting you about whether you can help on the day, but do let us know now if you are free. Also, if you can help with publicity beforehand, that would be amazing - posters and flyers are available now, so please ask. As old hands will know, there's lots to do on the Saturday and also on the previous Friday evening, loading and unloading the van for those who are happy with some moderately heavy lifting; and tidying, staffing the till, and placarding for those who aren't.

Lobby of Nicola Blackwood MP

Together whith Christian Aid and others, OOG has organised a lobby of new Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood. We have raised international development issues with all our MPs over the years, and as a new MP, we feel it's important for her to be aware of the strength of feeling in her constituency.

If you live in the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency (if you don't know, you can find out here), and are interested in going along, please contact Naveed. The lobby is on 20 September, and we hope to speak to her about the aid budget, the Millennium Development Goals, and climate change. A briefing will be available if you aren't confident to talk about these issues, but the main purpose of the meeting is to show her that people in her constituency care - it isn't to be experts or to win any arguments.

According to her website, she has advised the Conservate Party's international development team, so we anticipate a useful meeting.